Calm, Orderly, and Efficient
}} Round three of Durkon/Malack. Durkon searches for Malack who is roosting in a dark corridor. Durkon uses his knowledge of Malack to trick him into revealing his location. Two more spell slots are expended. Cast * Durkon Thundershield ◀ ▶ * Malack ◀ ▶ Transcript Durkon: OK, Durkon. No answer. Tha's OK. Ye can do this. Durkon: Roof's too low ta use Thor's Might…an' I dinnae haf tha ten minutes 'twould take ta call the Deva. Durkon: Which leaves me wit naught above 4th level…na good. Durkon: I cannae wait 'im out forever…me Hold Person'll wear off, an' then I'll be fightin' 'im an' Belkar both. Durkon: I need ta flush 'im out from 'is hidin' spot…Wha would Roy do? Durkon: Och, I got it! Durkon: Hey, Malack! I noticed ye ne'er suggested tha ye an' Tarquin an' tha rest o' tha Linear Guild retreat an' leave this place ta us. Durkon: I'm guessin' it's 'cause ye know yer buddy'd ne'er agree ta givin' up tha prize on yer say-so, aye? Durkon: Cure Light Wounds. Durkon: So I was just wonderin'…wha's tha difference 'tween ye an' just 'nother zombie, marchin' along ta yer human master's orders? Cut to Malack hanging upside down in a a dark corridor. Malack: A futile effort to taunt me, Durkon. But out of respect for our friendship, I will answer. Malack: The contrast is one of will. I willingly subordinate myself for a higher purpose. Cut to Durkon. Malack continues to speak in the distance, Durkon in the foreground facing away from him. Malack: My friendship with Tarquin and the others is, ultimately, a passing phase of my long existence. Malack: They are all past the prime of their short lives; in 30 or 40 years, at most, I will inherit a unified continent for my god. Cut back to Malack. Malack: That is when my true work will begin. A thousand will be sacrificed to Nergal's glory each day in an orderly regime of destruction. Malack: I'm thinking of developing some sort of special chamber by then to make the process more efficient than Tarquin's silly arena. Cut to Durkon, Malack cannot be seen. Durkon: So it's ye usin' Tarquin, 'stead o' the other way 'round? Durkon: Divine Favor. Durkon: Bet he wouldnae be happy ta hear ye say so. Cut to Malack Malack: Actually, we've discussed it at length. He's thrilled that what he builds now will endure past his death. Malack: I did have to promise him an even bigger statue, though. Malack: At any rate, your original query was moot. Living or dead, we are all of us marching to our orders—you no less than I, Durkon. Malack: It does not matter whence those orders came, be it man or god. Our place is as an obedient slave to those who command us. Malack: Through service, we are rewarded. That is the true natural order. Malack: Only fools like Nale resist. Durkon (off-panel): Mebbe— Durkon charges Malack and smites him in the jaw with his Divinely Favored hammer, taking Malack to the ground. "'WHAM!!"'' '''Durkon: —but at least Nale keeps movin' around when 'e starts with tha pontificatin'!! D&D Context * Cure Light Wounds is a 1st level spell. It heals 1d8 hp + 1hp/level. * Divine Favor is a 1st level spell. It grants +1 to hit/damage for every three levels, max +3, which Durkon maxes out. Trivia * In the seventh panel, Malack's aside suggests he would like to create something like a Nazi gas chamber. External Links * 875}} View the comic * 273906}} View the discussion thread Category:Uses Cure Light Wounds Category:Uses Divine Favor Category:Durkon's Death